1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a reactor plate suitable for use in various analyses such as biological analyses, biochemical analyses and general chemical analyses in the fields of medical care and chemistry, and a reaction treatment method for treating such a reactor plate.
2. Description of the Related Art
As small-size reaction apparatuses for use in biochemical analyses and general chemical analyses, micro multi-chamber apparatuses are known. Examples of such micro multi-chamber apparatuses include microwell reactor plates such as microtiter plates constituted from a flat substrate having a plurality of wells in the surface thereof (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2005-177749).
Further, as a structure for quantitatively treating a trace amount of liquid, there is proposed a trace amount liquid dispensing structure having a first flow channel, a second flow channel, a third flow channel which opens into the flow channel wall of the first flow channel, and a fourth flow channel which opens into the flow channel wall of the second flow channel and connects one end of the third flow channel to the second flow channel and which is relatively less likely to cause capillary attraction than the third flow channel and is narrower than the other three channels (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Nos. 2004-163104 and 2005-114430). When such a trace amount liquid dispensing structure is used, a liquid is introduced into the first flow channel and drawn into the third flow channel, and then the liquid remaining in the first flow channel is removed, and next the liquid having a volume corresponding to the capacity of the third flow channel is dispensed into the second flow channel.
In the case of a conventional microwell reactor plate, the upper surface of the reactor plate is exposed to the atmosphere during use. Therefore, there is a fear that foreign matter will enter a sample from the outside, or on the other hand, there is a case where a reaction product will pollute an environment outside the reactor plate.
Also in the case of the trace amount liquid dispensing structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-163104 or 2005-114430, each of the first flow channel and the second flow channel has, at both ends thereof, liquid introduction ports exposed to the atmosphere, and therefore there is a case where a reaction product will leak through the ports and then pollute an environment outside the structure.